Closer to the Mountains

We decided to allow one day for a day trip to Yaremche, the well-known Ukrainian resort that we had visited in our childhood. Yaremche is a famous resort town located in the central part of the Ukrainian Carpathians, at the mountain ranges called the Chornogory and the Gorgans, along the Prut River. The town lies at the altitude of 585 m above sea level. The distance to Yaremche from Ivano-Frankivsk is about 40 miles. In fact, Yaremche includes two villages - Dora and Yamna. They are located respectively higher and lower along the Prut River and are parts of the resort.

A view of the countryside

The first written mention of Yaremche is dated 1787. According to a legend, a poor peasant named Yarema settled here, and in the long run, the place was called after him. All the tour guides will gladly tell you many stories about the town that became a popular resort as far back as in the middle of the 19th century. Residents of Warsaw, Krakow, Lviv and other cities of Austria-Hungary used to come here for some treatment and relaxation.

During a stroll along the main street

During a stroll along the main street_Friendship monument

Friendship monument

Today Yaremche is a small town, one of the most famous mountainous climatic and ski resorts in Ukraine, the tourist center of the Sub Carpathian area and the center of "green” tourism. The city is clean, tidy and, as our tour guide assured us, it is full of kind and friendly people. Although, truth be told, the traffic is very busy in the main street. It was hard to walk there, not because of the distance, but because of the merciless exhaust gases from hundreds of cars and other vehicles.

A bridge across the River Prut

Liberty Street is the main town street. It has recently been asphalted. However, the sidewalks leave much to be desired. They are totally unavailable at many places. In other words, we should have hired a taxi instead of walking. Many side streets and paths go deep into the mountains. Most of the houses are private cottages and homesteads.

The River Prut

During our walk along the main street, we passed the bus terminal and the railway station located in the center. We were glad to visit the biggest waterfall - Probiy (“Breakthrough”) Waterfall. It is one of the most interesting natural wonders of Yaremche and also one of the most picturesque and popular waterfalls in the Carpathians. The waterfall is eight meters high. You can cross the river using a pedestrian bridge that was erected at the height of 12 meters above the river surface. It was great to stand on the bridge, to listen to the roaring waters of the waterfall and to ponder. It is hard to take a picture there since there are always many tourists here. We stood at the bridge and watched this full-bodied waterfall for some time.

A souvenir market

It was no fun to visit the numerous souvenir markets since we had no shopping aims. The choice of goods is impressive there; the shopkeepers have angelic patience, a great sense of humour and are very friendly. However, you have to be a well-to-do traveller to be able to buy what you like.

Downtown Yaremche

The town has many other sights, among them:

• the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
• the Church of St. John the Merciful with the bell tower;
• Prophet St. Elijah Church;
• St. Andrew’s Monastery;
• the monastery of the Studite Charter;
• St. Vincent Convent of the Sisters of Charity;
• the Museum of Ethnography and Ecology of the Carpathian Region;
• two souvenir market of folk art of Hutsul Land. The Hutsul Bazaar is the main souvenir market Yaremche. Many wooden items are sold here: carved vases and caskets, souvenir tops, mugs and saucers, as well as Hutsul blankets made of felt wool, warm woolen socks, and embroidered towels. You can also buy dried mushrooms, honey, nuts and Carpathian herbs tea.
• three picturesque waterfalls;
• two springs of medicinal mineral waters;
• Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky Museum;
• a menagerie with deer and roe deer. This mini-zoo is located in Hrushevsky Street. Here you can see (and also feed) deer, roe deer, wild boars and other animals. You can buy food at the entrance to the zoo.
• “Hutsul Land” unique wooden restaurant built in 1959 without any nails. The old restaurant looks quite neglected now, and I doubt if it is still open.

Old Hutsul restaurant

Old abandoned restaurant

Memorial plaque at Hutsul Land Restaurant in honour of Architect Bodnaruk who designed and built this restaurant in 1959

This building later became an architectural monument of national importance, one of the symbols of Yaremche;

• Dovbush Trails with a monument Oleska Dovbush and the oprichoks.

Dovbush Trail

Dovbush Trail

Oleksa Dovbush (1700-1745) was a famous Ukrainian outlaw, the leader of the opryshoks (“mountain rebels”), the proud knights of the Carpathian Mountains - those people, whom Ivan Franko, a famous Ukrainian poet described, “Enslaved, beaten, subjected, not being able to find justice anywhere, they ran into the woods, to the mountains, stuck to the same group of desperate people, even though they felt a threat of death everywhere. Although under threat, they could at least live freely, and even managed to get revenge on the abusers.”
Oleksa Dovbush became a folk hero during his lifetime, and he is often compared to Robin Hood.

Dovbush Trail

Dovbush Rocks

• Day trips to Vorokhta, Mykulychyn, Tatariv, Zhenets Waterfall, Mount Hoverla, Lake Nesamovyte, Verkhovyna, Bukovel, etc.

Enjoy your stay in Yaremche!